In My Veins
by LittleGrey8
Summary: This is set five years after 3x12. A was caught and disappeared and the liars went their separate ways. When one A escapes from jail, the liars must once again come together to protect themselves and their loved ones. Will deal with all characters and ships.
1. Chapter 1

This is set five years after 3x12. A was caught and disappeared and the liars went their separate ways. When one A escapes from jail, the liars must once again come together. Everything is AU after 3x12

I know this vague, but I will make things clear in the first chapter.

As people who read my Grey's Anatomy fics can tell you, I suck at updating, I promise I will eventually finish this story.

Read and review.

….

Aria Fitz stood at her kitchen sink washing the dishes from dinner.

Her husband, Ezra, sat at the table grading papers next to their son, Malcolm, who was working on his homework.

Her daughter, Lily, sat on the kitchen counter playing with a dish cloth.

Shortly before Aria graduated from high school, Maggie had been killed in a car accident and Malcolm had come to live with them.

A month after Aria had graduated from high school, she and Ezra had gotten married. Soon after, the three of them moved to California, so Aria could attend UC-Berkeley. Ezra had gotten a job teaching high school English in the local school district.

Aria had studied to become an elementary school teacher, discovering that she actually really enjoyed it. She was in the middle of her first year as a first grade teacher in the same school district as Ezra.

Towards the beginning of her junior year, Aria had discovered she was pregnant. She was still able to complete her degree on time. Lily was now about one and a half.

Aria looked at the picture of her and her friends that was hanging on their wall. It had been taken the day of graduation.

Spencer had been seven months pregnant with Toby's baby. Spencer had been happy on that day, for the first time since they had found out about Toby and he had been sent to jail. Spencer had gone to UPenn and now had a beautiful four year old daughter, Grace. Her parents and Melissa helped her with Grace and she was now in law school.

Hannah had moved to New York to attend design school. Caleb had gone with her to study something with computers, Aria could never quite remember what. They were now engaged and lived in New York together. Hannah was starting her own clothing line and Caleb worked at a computer programming firm.

Emily had attending Auburn University on a full swimming scholarship. She had majored in psychology and now lived in Boston, working as a therapist for troubled teenagers. She had broken up with Paige several years ago, but was happily dating again.

It was hard living far away from all of her friends, but they got together at least twice a year. She wouldn't trade her life now for anything.

Ezra walked over to the sink, placing his coffee mug in the sink.

He wrapped his arms around Aria and kissed her on the neck.

"I'm busy," Aria said with a giggle, continuing to wash dishes.

Ezra groaned and then pulled away.

He turned to walk away with a sullen look on his face, before turning around and putting soap suds into Aria's hair.

"Ezra!" Aria shrieked with a laugh.

"Got you," He grinned, going to sit back down.

He high fived Malcolm.

Aria rolled her eyes.

Their doorbell rang.

"I got it!" Aria yelled, picking Lilly up and walking towards the front door.

"Let's go see who's here." She told Lilly, tickling her.

The smile on her face immediately faded when she opened the door.

"Spence?" She whispered.

Spencer stood in front of her with bloodshot eyes and a pale face. She wore a large duffel bag and a backpack. Grace was asleep. Her arms were wrapped around Spencer's neck and her legs dangled at her waist.

"I didn't know where else to go," Spencer whispered tearfully.

"EZRA!" Aria yelled, pulling Spencer into her house.

Ezra ran to the front of the house, Malcolm at his heels.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" Ezra yelled frantically. He glanced at Spencer.

"Malcolm, how about you take your sister and Grace upstairs to your playroom and put a movie in?" Ezra asked his son. Malcolm nodded. He was old enough to know something was wrong, but knew better than to ask.

Spencer gently woke Grace up and Aria handed Lilly over to Malcolm. The three children went upstairs.

After the kids disappeared, Spencer's face crumpled and she began to cry. Aria wrapped her arms around her, trying to comfort her much taller friend.

"Let's go sit down." Ezra said.

Aria nodded and lead her friend into the kitchen, sitting down with her at the table. Ezra joined them.

Aria wrapped her hands around Spencer's. Aria's style hadn't changed much in five years, it had just gotten a little more age and job appropriate. Her fingernails were currently painted navy blue.

"It's Toby… He escaped from jail. I didn't know what to do. He's going to come after us, I just know it." Spencer said.

"What? When?" Aria asked her.

"Last night," Spencer replied. "I was worried and this morning I thought I saw him, so I grabbed some stuff and caught the first flight here."

Aria didn't bother to ask why Spencer had gone to her house instead of their other friends. She was farther away and the two of them had always been closer, just like Emily and Hanna had always been closer.

"Are the police looking for him?" Ezra asked her, growing tense. He hated Toby for hurting the girls. Toby had almost killed Aria.

"Yeah, I think so, but you know how helpful they are," Spencer said with an eye roll.

"I'm going to see if I can get in touch with someone from the FBI, Toby's too dangerous to be out for long." Ezra said, getting up. He kissed the top of Aria's head before walking to their bedroom to make his call.

"I can't let him get to me. I can't hurt like that again." Spencer said with a sob. "I can't let him hurt Grace."

"He won't. I promise." Aria said, gently tracing the puckered scar on her thigh.

She remembered the day she got it like yesterday.

_Aria awoke in a dim room; her vision was fuzzy at first. She didn't remember much. A had told Ezra about Malcolm and Ezra had kicked her out. Aria had run outside into the cold December weather, blinking back tears. She should have told Ezra. This could really be the end of them. She remembered smelling something sweet and now she was here._

_Her leg stung, and her mouth was gagged. Moving around, she could tell that she was tied to a chair._

_She felt something warm dripping down her leg. She looked down and saw a deep gash in her leg. She was covered in her blood and there was a large puddle of it on the floor. She thought that what had happened on the train had been A trying to hurt her, but clearly that had just been a trial run._

_Mona came into focus._

"_Oh, good. You're awake." Mona said, tracing Aria's cheek with the tip of her knife. Behind her, Aria could make out another hooded figure._

"_Go keep watch," Mona hissed. The other person scurried off._

"_Poor little Aria. No one here to hear you scream." Mona said with a laugh._

_Aria tried to scream, but the gag prevented her._

"_It's okay, sweetie. Soon you'll lose too much blood and you'll go numb, then you'll go unconscious, then you'll join your little friend Alison." Mona said with a laugh._

_After what seemed like hours, Mona got a phone call. "They found us? Dammit, let's run." Mona said._

"_Toodles," She said with a menacing grin before blowing Aria a kiss and disappearing._

_Aria could feel herself growing weaker and it was a chore to keep her eyes open._

_She saw the other hooded figure come back into focus._

_He looked at her and pressed a finger to his lips before following Mona._

_Seconds later Ezra and her friends ran into the room._

"_I'm… I'm sorry," Aria whispered after Ezra removed her gag and began to remove her handcuffs and the rope tying her to chair. Emily was on the phone with 911 and Hanna was calling Aria's parents_

"_It's okay, just hold on. I love you," Ezra gently kissed her before returning to his job._

_Aria looked up and saw Spencer. Her other friends walked over after hanging up their phones._

"_I saw A," Aria said, gasping for breath. "It was… Toby." She whispered and everything went black._

Shortly after, the police had arrested Toby and had gotten to admit the other members of the A Team: Garrett and Jenna, just who the girls had expected.

The three were found guilty in Alison's murder and went to jail.

About a week after the incident Spencer had discovered she was pregnant.

"He won't hurt us again." Aria said sternly, squeezing Spencer's hands before getting up to call Hanna and Emily.

….

What'd you guys think? Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to everyone for the great reviews!

I don't own anything.

….

Later that night, Aria walked into the guest bedroom where Spencer was staying.

"Hanna and Emily will be here first thing in the morning," She said walking in with an extra blanket in her arms.

She smiled as she looked at Grace, who was fast asleep on the bed. Aria gently draped the blanket over the little girl's body before coming over to sit on the floor next to Spencer.

"You okay?" She asked her best friend.

"Yeah, I just can't believe he's back," Spencer said softly. "I was finally ready to start dating again and now he's back. You know, despite it all, I still love him. I can't explain why, maybe it's because of Grace, but there's a part of my heart that will always belong to Toby, whether I like it or not."

"Spence, Toby was your first real boyfriend, the first guy you were ever in love with. He's the only guy you've ever been in love with. It's completely understandable." Aria said, squeezing Spencer's hand. "You should get some sleep." She said with a soft smile.

Spencer nodded and the two stood up.

"See you in the morning," Aria said before turning off the light.

She walked back downstairs and after grabbing a glass of water walked to her bedroom. Ezra was just getting out of the shower.

"How mad do you think Malcolm would be if we told him he couldn't go on his big field trip tomorrow?" Aria asked Ezra.

"You mean the three day long camping extravaganza he's been looking forward to since he started sixth grade?" Ezra asked her sarcastically. "I'd say there's a good chance he'd disown us or run away."

"I know, I'm just worried," Aria said, flopping down on the bed.

Ezra chuckled as he put his pajamas on. "You are such a mom. It's cute."

"No, you laughing in your sleep is cute. Me being worried about our son potentially being harmed by a complete psycho is totally rational and serious." Aria said sternly, sitting up on the bed.

"Aria," Ezra said, sitting down next to her. "He'll be fine. Toby is not going to go after a little boy. He's been looking forward to this trip all year. All of his friends are going; he'll never forgive us if we don't let him go."

"It's just a camping trip," Aria said softly.

"Not to a little boy. I'll drop him off in the morning and make sure he gets on the bus safely. I'll tell the teachers and the other chaperones to keep a really close eye on him."

Aria nodded. "This is all so different than last time. We have kids and lives. It isn't just us four against the world."

"You're right, it isn't. You have me and so many other people who care about you. This time the police are on your side, they've already started looking into it. You are not alone in this." Ezra said.

Aria kissed Ezra, pulling him close to her.

"I love you so much," Aria said softly. "Even with all of this going on, you make me feel safe."

….

The next morning, Aria and Ezra were up bright and early, getting Malcolm ready for his camping trip.

"And you have your bug spray and your sunscreen?" Aria asked Malcolm as she put more Cheerios on Lilly's high chair tray.

"Yes, Mom," Malcolm said, rolling his eyes.

Ezra walked in from the garage. He had just put Malcolm's sleeping bag and backpack in the car.

"Guess who's getting an attitude?" Aria asked Ezra.

"Who?" He asked her, pouring a cup of coffee.

"I do not have an attitude," Malcolm insisted, putting his cereal bowl in the sink.

"Yes, you do. Where did my sweet baby boy who played with Legos and read Harry Potter go?" Aria asked him with a pout, wrapping her arms around Malcolm

"He turned cool," Ezra said with a laugh.

"Dad!" Malcolm whined, pulling away from Aria.

Ezra kissed the top of Lilly's head and then sat down at the table.

"Dad, can I take my soccer ball?" Malcolm asked Ezra.

"If you take your old one," Ezra replied.

"Great!" Malcolm said before running up to his room to take it out of his soccer bag.

Ezra glanced at his watch, "We should probably get going soon."

"Already? I like it when you're here." Aria said as she finished making Malcolm's lunch.

"I'll be back in an hour, probably not even that. We're not going to work today, so we'll be together all day," He said, walking over and wrapping his arms around Aria's waist. He began to kiss her and sway back and forth, humming B-26.

They were interrupted when Malcolm ran back down the stairs, bellowing, "Let's go!"

Aria put Malcolm's lunch in his lunch box and handed it to him. "Be good, listen to the grownups. I love you." She said, giving him a hug.

"See you soon," She said, giving Ezra a quick kiss.

"Love you!" She called as the two of them walked out the door.

"Love you too!" Ezra responded as he left.

After cleaning up, Aria turned and picked Lilly up. Even though, Lilly was about 15 months old, she still hadn't begun to walk yet. "Let's go get dressed, baby girl."

….

About half an hour later, Aria and Spencer were sitting in the kitchen. Grace was coloring and Lilly was in Aria's lap.

The Fitz's dog, Gatsby, began to bark like crazy.

"They're here!" Grace yelled, jumping up and running towards the door.

Spencer and Aria laughed at the four year old's excitement and got up to greet their friends.

"I am loving this welcome committee!" Hanna announced as Grace dragged her into the kitchen.

Aria and Spencer hugged their friends as Emily and Hanna cooed over Lilly.

"Hey, Caleb," Aria said with a laugh, acknowledging Caleb who was awkwardly standing by the door.

"Hey," He said with a small smile.

"How about I show you guys which guest rooms you'll be staying in and then I'll make you some breakfast?" Aria asked them.

Her friends nodded and she lead them upstairs, glancing at the kitchen clock as she went, Ezra should be home soon.

…..

About ten minutes later, Spencer, Hanna, Emily, and Caleb were sitting at the kitchen table.

Grace was sitting in Spencer's lap and Lilly was sitting in Hanna's lap. Aria was washing dishes and glancing at the clock.

"I'm sure he's just caught in traffic," Emily said, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"It takes twenty minutes to get to the school and back, add in ten for the bus and he should've been back ten minutes ago." Aria said, loudly putting a stack on plates in the cabinet.

She jumped when the front doorbell rang.

"See, there he is," Hanna said with a smile.

"Ezra never uses the doorbell or the front door," Aria said as she walked off to the front door. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Her friends and Caleb followed her.

She opened the door to see two men standing there.

"Mrs. Fitz?" One of the men asked her.

"Yes?" She responded.

"I'm Special Agent Williams and this is Special Agent Smith. Can we come in?"

"Yeah, I… Of course…" Aria responded.

"Caleb, why don't you take the girls upstairs?" Hanna asked, handing Lilly to him.

Caleb took the girls upstairs as Aria led the FBI agents into her living room.

"Could I get you some coffee or something?" Aria asked.

"No, ma'am. I think it'd be better if you just take a seat."

Aria nodded and sat down. Her friends sat next to her.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Fitz, there's been an accident," Agent Williams said.

"Oh my God," Aria said, raising a hand to her mouth. "Are Ezra and Malcolm…?"

Spencer grabbed Aria's other hand and Hanna began to gently rub her back.

"Malcolm is fine. He was already on his way to his camping trip."

Aria breathed a sigh of relief before asking again.

"And Ezra?"

"He was involved in a hit and run. By the time we arrived at the scene the other car and your husband were gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Emily asked as Aria began to hyperventilate.

"We know he was in the car, but when we got there his cellphone was lying on the floor and he was gone. The keys were still in the ignition."

"But what happened to him?" Hanna asked.

"There is a chance that he hit his head and wandered off, completely disoriented…"

"Or?" Aria asked tearfully.

"There is a chance that he was abducted, especially considering the timing of the accident."

"Toby." Spencer whispered as she felt Aria's small body crumple beside her.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone for the great reviews!

I don't own anything!

….

After the FBI agents left, the four girls sat together in Aria's living room.

Aria had been silent since she had found out.

Her three friends sat around her, unsure about what to say.

Their phones suddenly went off at the same time.

"Miss me, bitches? –A." Aria read, her voice thick with tears.

"We know who it is. Why is Toby keeping up the A act?" Hanna asked, throwing her phone down on the couch beside her.

"To torment us," Spencer said softly.

"What should we do? I mean we know who it is this time. Toby doesn't have any power over us." Emily said stubbornly.

Lilly began to cry.

"I should go," Aria said, wiping away her tears.

Her friends followed her upstairs.

"Hey, baby girl!" Aria chirped, plastering a fake grin on her face as she picked up her daughter.

Her friends and Caleb exchanged glances.

"I think it's time for someone's nap," Aria said, bouncing Lilly on her hip and leaving the room.

The four adults lowered their voices so Grace couldn't hear them.

"What's going on?" Caleb asked.

"Toby has Ezra," Hanna explained.

"And we just got a text from A," Emily finished.

"Alright, let's go," Caleb said suddenly.

"What? Go where?" Spencer asked.

"To the FBI. They might be able to trace it." He explained.

The three girls looked at him skeptically.

"This isn't Rosewood. The police are on YOUR side."

"Yeah, okay…" Hanna replied.

"So I guess we're going to the police station?" Emily asked.

"You guys go here. I'll stay here," Spencer said softly.

Her friends nodded and left. "Be careful!" Spencer called after them.

…..

"Stop worrying!" Caleb said, not taking his hands off the steering wheel.

"You're not even looking at me," Hanna retorted.

"I don't need to look at you to know," Caleb said with a smirk.

"Caleb?" Emily asked, leaning forward. "Is there any way you could trace the calls?"

"Probably… Why?" He asked.

"I just… It's hard to know who you can trust, you know," Emily said softly.

"I doubt Toby could infiltrate the FBI. He doesn't have that much influence. Plus their equipment is way better than mine," Emily nodded.

Hanna began to fidget, "Maybe this isn't such a good idea…"

"It'll be fine, I promise," Caleb said, pulling up to the police station.

…

"Aria?" Spencer called. Grace had still been pretty tired from their day of traveling, so Spencer had tried to make her take a nap. Five fairytales later, she was finally asleep. She had poked her head in Lilly's room, but Aria was long gone.

As she walked down the steps, she could hear that the TV was on.

She immediately recognized Ezra's voice.

"Can you say Christmas?" He asked. She could tell by his tone of voice that he was talking to Lilly.

"Ezra, she's six months old, of course she can't," Aria said with a laugh.

Walking into the living room, Spencer could see that it was Christmas. Aria was wearing a Santa hat and holding Lilly, who was wearing adorable Christmas footie pajamas and a matching hat.

"Can we open presents now?" Malcolm pleaded, sitting in a pile of candy and stocking stuffers.

"I guess so," Aria said.

Malcolm ran over to the Christmas tree and picked the biggest box, ripping it open.

"Slow down, buddy," Ezra said with a laugh from behind the camera.

Malcolm stuck his tongue at his father.

Ezra laughed and walked over to their fireplace, putting the camera down so that it perfectly captured the action and joining his family on the floor.

Malcolm continued to rapidly open presents as Lilly played with wrapping paper.

Aria scooted closer to Ezra, leaning back against his chest. He pulled her close and stroked her hair.

"Merry Christmas, babe," He whispered, so low that the camera barely picked it up.

Aria grinned and kissed him.

Spencer stepped on a creaky floorboard and Aria turned around, shutting off the tape.

Tears were streaming down her face.

"Oh, Aria," Spencer said softly, sitting next to her friend.

"I know that I can't just shut down and we have to focus on finding A. I know that all of us are involved, but I just… I can't… I can't think about anything or anybody. I can't breathe. I can't lose him," Aria sobbed.

"You won't," Spencer assured her. "We are going to find him and put a stop to all of this once and for all."

Aria nodded.

"Where are Hanna, Emily, and Caleb?" She asked looking around.

"They took their phones to the police to see if they can trace the A message," Spencer told her.

….

"There seems to be problem," Special Agent Williams said, walking over. They were at the police station, where the FBI was temporarily set up.

"What do you mean a problem?" Emily asked.

"As soon we tried to trace the texts all of our equipment crashed."

"He imbedded a virus in the texts?" Caleb asked.

"It appears so," Special Agent Williams responded.

"So what can we do?" Hanna asked.

"Just keep an eye out, and hope he demands ransom for Mr. Fitz. Once he opens communication, it will be much easier to catch him."

…..

Back at Aria's house, Spencer was about to jump in the shower. Aria was on the phone with Ezra's brother, trying to explain the situation.

Spencer pulled back the shower curtain to start the water and screamed.

Toby stood in front of her.


End file.
